Re: Authorized Issuer Lists

Very true that trust comes both from 
- “de-jure” authorities that have the legal authority to make certain statements - and 
- evidence of trustworthy participation such as good ratings from peers that I trust 

Two different things and both valid.  However my current focus is the first one - the formal / legal accreditations and how to express and verify them as a linked credential graph 

The solution to the second one in a decentralised architecture also probably has something to do with trust graphs as well.  If I’ve got a 5 star rating from Amazon as a seller that is based on 1000 reviews over 10 years then I’d love to get a VC from Amazon attesting to that so I can leverage that reputation on other channels - but I can’t see why Amazon would be motivated to give it to me.  Might need some GDPR style regulation that entitles me to demand it from the walled garden networks 

Cheers 

Steven Capell
Mob: 0410 437854

> On 15 Aug 2022, at 8:26 am, Tobias Looker <tobias.looker@mattr.global> wrote:
> 
> 
> This is a great and much needed initiative for the credential space. I would note that I think language like "authorized issuer lists" does tend to setup the possible misconception that there is a singular arbiter around who to trust for a particular credential type when in reality trust is contextual. Therefore, I think "trust lists" or "trust registries" are perhaps a better language framing of what we are looking for an interoperable solution to.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
>  
> Tobias Looker
> MATTR
> CTO
> +64 (0) 27 378 0461
> tobias.looker@mattr.global
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This communication, including any attachments, is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you should not read it - please contact me immediately, destroy it, and do not copy or use any part of this communication or disclose anything about it. Thank you. Please note that this communication does not designate an information system for the purposes of the Electronic Transactions Act 2002.
> 
> From: Steve Capell <steve.capell@gmail.com>
> Sent: 15 August 2022 09:39
> To: Kyano Kashi <kyanokashi2@gmail.com>
> Cc: Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>; W3C Credentials CG <public-credentials@w3.org>
> Subject: Re: Authorized Issuer Lists
>  
> EXTERNAL EMAIL: This email originated outside of our organisation. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe.
> 
> Yes! 
> 
> And then the school includes the accreditation vc in their student credential vc 
> 
> Steven Capell
> Mob: 0410 437854
> 
>>> On 15 Aug 2022, at 7:28 am, Kyano Kashi <kyanokashi2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> Hi Manu,
>> 
>> Forgive my ignorance, but couldn’t we simply have the American Bar Association issue VCs to the schools it wishes to accredit for issuing law VCs?
>> 
>> Best, 
>> 
>> Kyano
>> 
>> On Sun, Aug 14, 2022 at 6:19 PM Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> The topic of "lists of authorized issuers for certain types of
>> credentials" has been floating around the VC community for a few years
>> now. We don't seem to have hit a point where implementers and
>> customers feel they absolutely need the feature, but there has been
>> enough curiosity around it to perhaps have some exploratory technical
>> discussions at some of the upcoming conferences.
>> 
>> The basic concept here is: Can a verifier lean on established trust it
>> has in some authority, such as an accreditation body, to get a list of
>> issuers for particular types of credentials? To focus on a use case in
>> education, how would the American Bar Association publish a list of
>> all law schools that it has accredited to issue law degree VCs?
>> 
>> The following paper calls for the exploration of the topic, starting
>> at the upcoming RWoT in The Hague (end of September):
>> 
>> https://github.com/WebOfTrustInfo/rwot11-the-hague/blob/master/advance-readings/authorized-issuer-lists.md
>> 
>> Thoughts, concerns, and identification of similar work, are all welcome.
>> 
>> -- manu
>> 
>> -- 
>> Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/
>> Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
>> News: Digital Bazaar Announces New Case Studies (2021)
>> https://www.digitalbazaar.com/
>>